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Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Lemon Butter Cookies / Sablés Au Citron

We had such wet weather last week, with rains pouring down and gloomy skies. Going to the market required juggling an umbrella with my usual market bag, and using my free hand to inspect veggies and fruits (and trying to avoid the big drips of water from overhead make-shift awnings that seem to target my head specifically!). It also meant having to market in actual “closed” shoes as opposed to my usual flip-flops...criminy.

C was woebegone as he couldn’t go biking (he’s a passionate mountain biker). I would spy him early on weekend mornings, shuffling out of bed and peering hopefully through the window blinds, then shuffling back to bed with a sigh and a resigned look. The trails would be too muddy to ride through.

This week however flounced in full of sunshine! Sun blazing through the windows and hammering the streets with its heat. And though I’m tempted to turn on the a/c during the day, I resist. Opting instead to enjoy this bit of light and warmth in one of my beach batiks and my latest pair of flip-flops. I admit the heat may often drive me bananas, but sometimes it’s good to take a step back and be thankful for the blessings the sun brings me: all-year tank tops, never having to suffer through bitter cold weather, vitamin D synthesis, and protection from vampires just to name a few.

No matter how yummy it may be to nuzzle back into a fluffy duvet on a rainy Sunday morning, I can’t deny the air of hope that sunshine brings with it.

That’s what I’d like to celebrate with this entry to A Taste Of Yellow – hope. The hope that when many gather together in support of something, the darkness does not seem so daunting nor as insurmountable. The hope you feel when you know you have someone who will stick with you through tough times. The hope that they may find a cure. The hope that tomorrow will be sunnier, cooler, better.

LiveSTONG with A Taste of Yellow is a food blogging event created by the fabulous Barbara of Winos and Foodies in support of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, to raise awareness of cancer issues. It is a platform for bloggers to share their stories, or simply their support. I have always been a great admirer of Barbara and the way she approaches life...with polish and flair and always a kindness for others. And hope too I believe.

I chose these Lemon Butter Cookies (or Sablés Au Citron if you want to be cute and French...which I must admit I sometimes do) from Clotilde’s cookbook Chocolate & Zucchini, page 224. The cheery yellow of the lemon and the butter, along with the heavenly smell of lemon rind being grated, assured me that I was on the right track with this recipe. And the delicious results were all the proof I needed to know I had made the correct choice.

Here’s what you do: Mix together 1 cup plus 2 tablespoonsall-purpose flour, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon fleur de sel (I used one scant teaspoon), and 1 tablespoon freshly grated and finely chopped lemon zest (from organic lemons if possible!). Add 3.5 ounces (7 tablespoons) unsalted butter that is well chilled and diced. Rub the butter into the flour mixture (this feels really nice), or cut in with a pastry cutter until combined into what looks like coarse crumbs. Add one egg yolk and stir with a fork until blended. Take the dough into your hands and knead (lightly now...you’re not making a baguette) until it comes together and forms a ball. If they dough looks too dry add some ice water (a little at a time!). If it feels too sticky add some flour (a little at a time!). Now, halve the dough and roll each half into a log about 1-inch in diameter. Wrap each log in cling wrap and tuck in the freezer for a 30-minute nap (you can also freeze the dough for up to a month -- freshly baked butter cookies any time you want...yay!). When you are ready to bake them, remove a log from the freezer, unwrap, and slice into 1/4-inch rounds using a serrated knife (roll the dough a quarter-turn after each slice so the log stays round). Repeat with the second log. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment and stick into a 350F (pre-heated) oven for 12 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let the cookies cool completely before adding the glaze.

To make the glaze: I only made half the glaze so to get the full quantity just multiply by two. Place 1/2 cup powdered sugar in a bowl with 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice – whisk until syrupy. Glaze the cookies using a pastry brush or the back of a teaspoon...or as I did here, place glaze in a ziplock bag or parchment paper cone and pipe onto cookie in any design you wish! Let cookies stand until the glaze is set.

These cookies bake up to a buttery crispness on the outside and a melting flakiness on the inside, infused with a bright lemony aroma and shot through with bursts of fleur de sel. They would be perfect shared with a good friend over tea and a nice chat.

p.s. the sun was out for the past few days, but as I post this it has started to rain again...good thing I have stored a little sunshine in the form of these cookies!p.p.s. it's the following day and the sun's out again! :)

Hi Bron! Thanks! I worked hard to keep my hand steady...I’m not the most delicate of decorators!

Hi Andy! I’m sure it would! Calamansi is actually a very typical ingredient here in the Philippines...used in all sorts of dishes and condiments :) Read the post on Rasa Malaysia too! Hope the MIL like this!

Hi Barbara! Thank you as well Barbara...glad you liked the post...hope you’ll like the cookies too! Hugs!

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Hi Joey! These cookies really made my day (and everyone else's!)This morning, i think i have produced about 44 pieces didn't last! thanks for this recipe! This is the perfect "happy cookie" to shoo-away Ondoy's memories! Cheers! :)

Hi Tanya! Hope it works! What you are looking for is not so fine a salt that it dissolves into the cookie and makes it salty, but something that gives the cookie a few shots of contrast here and there :)

Hi Kescribbles! I like sea salt because the slightly larger grains gives you small shots of salt...I have never tried it with regular table salt but you can try just using a little less :) You can certainly try using orange...I think an orange cookie would be delicious!

I made them and they were terrible! Too much fleur de sel - it masked all the other flavours and was just unbearable! Also, the lemon flavour wasn't very apparent. I would recommend less fleur de sel and a little more lemon zest!

Is there supposed to be baking soda in these? I made them and they turned out NOTHING like the picture :( They didn't rise at all and I followed the recipe to a T. They look like quarters, not cookies!

Hi Anonymous -- so sorry they didn't turn out well! There is no baking soda in the original recipe (I just re-checked) and they are not really meant to rise, more like "slice and baked" type cookies -- so roll them and slice then to the size you want.

Hi Madeline -- you can certainly lessen the salt and up the amount of zest...I liked them but each taste is different :)

I made these tonight and was very disappointed that they weren't very big and the lemon flavor was lacking. I would double the zest and cut the salt in half if I ever made them again...probably won't because there are so many recipes to try!

Delicious!!! And so pretty too!! I used a scant tsp of sea salt to save myself a trip to William Sonoma, but will definitely pick some up next time I'm at the mall! Initially my dough was very very dry, so I added an extra yolk. Still very dry, so added several tsp of ice water till consistency was right. Came out perfect. Can't wait to try it with lime. Great recipe